Caught by the charism

Caught by the charism

By Lori Wilson and Peggy Gorman

Associate Lori Wilson kept this candle lit during the gathering as a way of inviting God to be present with her and all Associates. Logo for the Associates of the Society of Sacred Heart, United States – Canada Province was launched at the gathering.

Our Associates gathering, July 6-7, 10-11, 2021, held virtually, invited us to a deeper understanding of our identity as Associates of the Society of the Sacred Heart and sharing in its charism. It led us to acknowledge our vocation to the Society’s mission– to discover and reveal God’s love in the heart of the world – and to discern the unique roles and gifts we bring to foster this mission individually and collectively.

In the final two days of the gathering, we conversed with Religious of the Sacred Heart(RSCJ). These conversations allowed us to begin to probe who Associates and RSCJ are, what makes each identity different, and where we can conspire together.

In her keynote talk, Carol Zinn, SSJ, executive director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), challenged Associates to understand what it means to be “caught by the charism.” She pointed out the need to become independent of the RSCJ so we can truly be collaborators with them. This thought was both thrilling and scary to our group because, in many ways, we Associates rely on the sisters to guide, teach and lead us. Our growing edge is to take the mantle of leadership upon our own shoulders. Provincial Suzanne Cooke, RSCJ, spoke to and broke open the words: vocation, charism and mission. Specifically, she focused on our vocational call and invited us to support one another as we create our beloved community. Now is the time for us to learn as much as possible from the RSCJ we admire so that we can enter more fully into the charism we are called to live.

Where do we need to go from here? Associate formation is an area that we need to streamline. Leadership development is also a clear need. We need to answer the questions: how do we do this with RSCJ? What should our structures be? What needs to change?

Being called to discover and reveal the heart of Christ in our blessed and broken world is a serious call and one we, as Associates, have committed to living in our personal and professional lives. We, the Associates Leadership Team, are excited to begin a deeper dive into what this call is all about, and we are open to receive what the Spirit has in store for Associates as we grapple with these questions this year. We will work with the new Provincial Team, the leaders of our Associate groups, and all Associates this next year as we forge a path forward – one we pray will lead to growth, understanding and deeper love.

Lori Wilson and Peggy Gorman are co-chairs of the Associates Leadership Team.